Production of elemental films using a boron-containing reducing agent
AssigneeASM International N.V.
InventorsKai-Erik Elers, Ville Saanila, Sari Kaipio, Pekka Soininen
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Abstract
The present invention relates generally to depositing elemental thin films. In particular, the invention concerns a method of growing elemental metal thin films by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using a boron compound as a reducing agent. In a preferred embodiment the method comprises introducing vapor phase pulses of at least one metal source compound and at least one boron source compound into a reaction space that contains a substrate on which the metal thin film is to be deposited. Preferably the boron compound is capable of reducing the adsorbed portion of the metal source compound into its elemental electrical state.
Claims28
-33. (canceled)
A method of growing an elemental metal thin film on a substrate in a reaction space by a vapor phase deposition process comprising multiple deposition cycles, each cycle comprising:
- pulsing a vapor phase metal source compound into the reaction space such that metal source compound adsorbs on the substrate and does not thermally decompose;
- stopping the pulse of the metal source compound;
- after stopping the pulse of the metal source compound, pulsing a vapor phase boron reducing compound into the reaction space in order to reduce adsorbed metal source compound to elemental metal.
The method of claim 446, wherein the tungsten compound is tungsten hexafluoride (WF6).
A method of growing an elemental metal thin film on a substrate from vapor phase reactants in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process comprising:
- introducing a vapor phase metal source compound into a reaction space containing the substrate such that no more than one molecular layer of the metal source compound adsorbs on the substrate;
- contacting the adsorbed metal compound on the substrate with a vapor phase boron source compound after introducing the vapor phase metal source compound such that no more than one atomic layer of elemental metal is formed and such that no vapor phase reactions occur between the metal source compound and the boron compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.